The
Wright brothers had a variety of individual talents, skills,
and personality traits that complemented one another. Relying
on each other's strengths and compensating for each other's
weaknesses was crucial to their invention of the airplane.
Neither probably could have achieved alone what they did as
a team.
A Source of Confidence
The Wrights supportive homelife provided Wilbur
and Orville with a strong belief in themselves. This self-confidence
enabled them to reject the theories of well-known and more
experienced aeronautical experimenter when the brothers felt
their own ideas were correct. Often it was the emotional anchor
provided by their strong family ties that helped Wilbur and
Orville persevere when they encountered difficulties in their
research.
An unspoken Pact
In the mid-1890s, Wilbur, Orville,
and their sister Katharine were in their twenties, the age
young people of their time typically began to seriously contemplate
marriage. Yet none of them showed any interest in finding
a mate. They seemed bound by an unspoken agreement to remain
together and let no one come between them.
“From
the time we were little children my brother Orville and myself
lived together. We usually owned all of our toys in the common,
talked over our thoughts and aspirations so that nearly everything
that was done in our lives has been the result of conversations,
suggestions and discussion between us."
Wilbur Wright, 1912
Pénaud's Helicopter
The brothers’ first experience
with flight occurred in 1878, when their father gave them
a small rubber band–powered toy helicopter designed
by French aviation pioneer Alphonse Pénaud. Intrigued
by the little flying machine, they made several copies of
it of varying sizes. After playing and experimenting with
them, the brothers behaved like most young boys: they moved
on to other diversions. Orville made this sketch of the toy
in 1929.
Spirited Arguments
“I like scrapping with Orv,” Wilbur
said, “he’s such a good scrapper.” Heated
discussions were a frequent and significant aspect of the
Wrights’ creative process. Their ability to defend a
position with genuine passion, while considering the other’s
point of view, was essential to their inventive success.
